The Wall of Recognition
The Stadium Centennial Foundation is working on the next
installment of honorees for the Wall of Recognition which will hopefully be
recognized in the Fall of 2011. The
honorees include Stadium graduates who have achieved prominence in the arts,
politics, public service, athletics, education, business, science, the military
or other walks of life.
Wall of Recognition Nomination Form
If you would like to submit a name for the Wall please send
in the form to:
The Stadium Centennial Foundation
PO Box
7327
Tacoma, WA 98417
Please note, only written nominations will be accepted
If you are interested in being involved in the Wall of
Recognition committee please email the Stadium Centennial Foundation at Recognition@celebratestadium.com
And a GRAND TIME was had by ALL . . .
civic pride and student activities going back to 1910, but the stadium as engineering marvel and moments recognizing the men and women of
the armed forces and a moment of silence for those who did not make it home.
It was truly a "Trip Through Time" as Presidents Teddy Roosevelt, Warren G Harding and Woodrow Wilson all arrived via presidential motorcade
and gave their exact same speeches. Woodrow even brought Edith (First Lady 1912-1920) with a very fashionable stole and hat.
Most of all, there were marching bands, kids doing exuberant and exciting gymnastics and cheers and lots of pride of place. Tacoma, the heart of the Puget Sound,
what with all the industry, the history of working men and women and where Tacoma convened for at least 60 years was the Stadium.
The story of a people is in its commons, in its shared experiences and as a common ground, the Stadium of our school represents it:
Everyone from Presidents to custodians, to students, teachers and their families, shared in this; history grew out of this field.
Men and women were forged here and went on into their lives and history.
The Stadium Centennial Foundation program included many historic photos of the Stadium, events and people and a few free offers from local merchants.
There was a most distinguished group of honorees on the stage, but the best view, was of course from the stands.
Let's all give thanks to the hundreds of attendees and to the Stadium Centennial Foundation for not only preserving but promoting our local roots and heritage.
And now, for the next 100 years!
Fill the Bowl food drive in Tacoma hits record
It was down to the wire, but Stadium Bowl bested the previous Guinness World Record for the largest 24-hour food drive Saturday,
collecting 515,067 pounds of food that filled 15 tractor-trailers.
TheNewsTribune.com
Party in the Bowl
The News Tribune for Sept. 14th, has an article by Peter Callaghan.
The story relates what a community can do when motivated.
..."At first the school board balked, deciding to level the floor of the gulch as simple play fields instead.
Only after school kids and business leaders took up the issue and began raising the money did the board give in.
Workers used water jets, steam shovels, horse-drawn carts and men with broad backs to move 180,000 cubic yards of earth to form the floor and the sides."
Read more: TheNewsTribune.com
Castle on the Hill
TV Tacoma produced an excellent show about Stadium and the Bowl.
What does the Stadium Bowl mean to you?
Tacoma High School was renamed Stadium High School in honor of this Icon so it does mean something to the students who went there. But this incredible landmark means much more to the City of Tacoma and the State of Washington.
Theodore Roosevelt remarked:
“I know nothing like it, nothing on this side of the water, and nothing abroad. While I had heard of your Stadium, I had no idea of what an extraordinary feature of your municipal life it is.”
Even the president of the United States knew how important this remarkable Stadium was to our community.
The Stadium Bowl has been a part of history not only for Tacoma and the State of Washington, but for many other parts of the country.
It has been the scene of innumerable sports and community events.
The University of Southern California played its first football game outside the state of California in the Stadium bowl. Oregon State,
Texas A & M, Penn State, Gonzaga, PLU, UPS are among the numerous football teams that have played in the bowl.
Several presidents have spoken there. John Philip Sousa performed in the bowl. Babe Ruth played an exhibition game there. And list goes on and on.
There have been so many historical events that have happened in the bowl that we felt it only right to honor this icon.
It is our hope that you will come help us celebrate the 100th birthday while we try to break another Guinness World record.
The two day celebration will include a dedication program much like the ones they held so long ago called “Stadium Days” with students, military, bands and choirs as well as some re-enactments of things that have happened in our bowl.
You won't want to miss it!
Won’t you please join us and make this incredible historical event one that you will remember for years to come.
Sincerely,
Bill Baarsma and Pati Lynn
Schedule of Events
The schedule of events for Fill the Bowl and the 100th anniversary celebration of the Stadium Bowl are coming together!
Here's what we've got so far:
Friday, September 17
2:30-2:45 Parade assembles at Classic Car site
3:00 Parade begins
3:55 Parade ends in turn around
4:00 Press conference to kick off Fill the Bowl
4:00 Food collection begins!
6:00 Doors open for Football game and pregame highlights...don't miss the big surprise.
(For those of you who want to attend the football game: Tickets are available at the gate only.
Avoid the long lines by getting there early...Doors open at 6pm)
7:00 Football game between Stadium and Bellarmine
Post-game and through the night...Join us for "10 Things I Hate About You" in the Bowl! ...the food collection continues.
Saturday, September 18
8 - 11am Pancake Breakfast
9 - 10:30 Golden Grad Reception in the Library (SHS graduates who are 50 years or more out of school)
11:00 Military Endurance tests in the Bowl
11am-1pm Mini - Reunions and self-guided tours for all alum and public (Please contact Pati Lynn to include YOUR class plynn27@hotmail.com)
2:00 100 Year Celebration Event (see the website www.celebratestadium.com for updates)
4:00 Food collection ends and big announcement of Guinness World Record Success in the Bowl
Where to Drop Off Donations
Here is a list of collection sites:
Fill The Bowl Donation spots
We Did It!!!
The Certification is here
1906 - 2006
One of the numbers that many people are interested in is whether we surpassed
the greatest number attending a reunion.
The signatures still need to be compared to school records and duplicates eliminated,
but over 4,000 alums signed in for Guinness record.
The old record was 2,521 set in Guben, Germany in 2002;
Here are a few more numbers:
10,000 for the game
1,000 Golden Grads reception
10,000 visitors during Saturday
3,000 Concert attendees
8,000 Sunday visitors
1,000 plus for Pancake Breakfast on Sunday
500 plus volunteers
$41,471 - Tigermania paraphernalia sales
The News Tribune has stories and pictures on their web site:
For more great pictures see Chip Van Gilder's display:
(click on Stadium Celebration)
A large number of emails have been received expressing, sometimes, quite emotional reactions to the three day event.
The following, I think, expresses the experience very well:
To know this was a huge success all you had to do was:
- sit in the Courtyard for 5 minutes and watch faces from young to old, grinning the same way, and remembering walking down the same halls from age 15 to 18; or
- listen to conversations, hearing old friends greeting each other with war stories, or elders telling their children and grandchildren what they remembered, or young parents showing their small children where they would be going to school; or
- watch a former music teacher greet an old student with hugs, a few tears, more hugs and almost no words; or
- see the faces of the four SHS band members playing with Blood, Sweat and Tears, (I didn't know you could smile and play at the same time) and their parents and friends dancing in the aisles; or
- greet your parent's friends, your friends, your children's friends, and lots of relatives and people you know from the community, knowing they all have this one thing in common; or
- watch incredible fireworks, thinking this is bigger than the 4th of July, and it's at a HIGH SCHOOL!! or
- see people from the community who have nothing to do with the school, but just wanted to be there;
- note that people, old and young were back more than once (I saw the octogenarian who slept in the Library on Saturday eating an ice cream cone on the turf in the Bowl on Sunday);
- watch the crowd (3 and 4 deep) at the store waiting for their turn at the sweatshirts and hats;
- try to wipe the smile off your face. From one who came way late to the party, you guys did an absolutely amazing job!
William Lynn, Class of 1970
Your sentiments made me cry…I agree with everything you said so eloquently…It was a truly amazing experience for both Milt and me. I saw classmates and friends I haven’t seen in over 50 years. I had a tremendous sense of pride, both for having gone to this amazing school and for the job Pati, Dick and the committee did in making sure everyone had a glorious weekend. I am now a believer that if you wish hard enough, your dreams will come true…even the weather will cooperate! When Pat O’Day said he saw a rainbow right before the concert began I cried again. As I sat for awhile in the new theatre, I took a few moments to reflect on our journey and all I can say is WOW! I am so proud to have been a part of this once-in-a-lifetime endeavor. The memories you all helped create for thousands of people will be remembered forever.
My personal thanks go to three sponsors with whom I dealt directly. Two Busy to Cook who provided food for most of the committee meetings, Foss Maritime who provided the barge and tug for the superiffic fireworks and Star Rental who provided two generators so our bowl activities had power. You are angels indeed!
Anita Thompson Class of 1951
Thanks to all of you on the committee. What an incredible event! And a special thank you to the hundreds of volunteers who showed up to help us all make it happen. Some of you are alums, some are parents, some are students and some are neighbors who just wanted to help make it happen. You traveled from as far away as New York, Virginia and California to attend the event and took time away from your visit to help us out. It would have never happened without you. And to those of you who stayed around to see what more was needed and barely went home (you know who you are) we will never forget you. THANKS!!!
Pati Lynn, Class of 1970
The Tiger Gods smiled down on us and kept the rain away. But thinking about it, we didn't need the natural sunshine because our Alumni, students, families, friends, community supporters and guests had a perpetual radiance glowing all weekend long. After the school managed to get the visitors out Sunday afternoon, there were still people at the doors reminiscent of the Mervyn's TV ads - "Open, open, open". That elderly alum who fell asleep in the library on Saturday, I met he and his wife at the Courtyard Party and greeted them every day. As I was leaving late Friday afternoon, I saw them getting off the last visitor shuttle from the Bowl!
What diehards! I know of alums who came from London and Costa Rica. At the Pancake breakfast, I met a man and his wife from Mercer Island. He was a 1945 graduate. They attended on Saturday. On Sunday morning, his wife asked him what he wanted to do and he said "Let's go to the Pancake Breakfast".
Friday, I handed out pom poms to the crowd as they entered the Bowl, greeting friends, classmates, neighbors, family and my new Tiger buddies from our committee. Even if we had never set eyes on each other before, there were no strangers.
Thanks to Pati and Anita and Dick, our Committee, volunteers, the Boosters, our Alums, Staff and students.
I want to send a special thank you to Commander Mandigo and his ROTC students for their participation. They were everywhere!
We all love the unique building, location and history of Stadium High School. And certainly, those things have helped shape us but it's also our classmates, teachers and staff and parents that made Stadium what it was and is.
As we were planning this event, there were times of doubt of ever getting this off the ground. I feel honored and privileged to have been a member of the Celebration Committee.
On to the next 100 years!
Kathleen Monahan, Class of 70
Stadium Centennial Foundation
The Stadium Centennial Foundation sponsord other activities as well such as a Sneak Preview party (in late August) for corporate sponsors and VIPs, also a Dedication day with ribbon cutting, dignitaries and a program.
The celebration itself included an all school open-house with tours of the school and alumni activities on Saturday and Sunday. That whole weekend there were activities going on in the bowl with a Friday night homecoming football game. The plan was to have a Guinness book of World Record for the most people to attend a homecoming event. and then possibly a small concert in the new auditorium. Since the Stadium bowl holds 17,000 people, that is what we are shooting for. We have been researching alumni records in order to contact all of them. According to actuary studies there are about 25,000 still alive.
Castle On The Hill
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"The Helen M who wrote the note alongside the picture of Stadium High (Tahoma High then) was my Mom....Helen McDonald, class of 1912. In 1915 she married John Stedman Wood, also class of 1912. They raised 3 boys, Donald, Philip and myself...Jack M. Wood class of '41."
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In the spring of 1890, the City of Tacoma was a classic example of a western boom town, where the wealthy and affluent were becoming common place. Here was born the dream to construct a grand hotel on a bluff overlooking Commencement Bay. A world class hotel that would rival all others.
It was a dream that was not meant to be...
Out of the rubble of this dream arose another. A dream that would result in a high school so unique and beautiful it would take on a life of its own and become fertile ground for the dreams of many generations of Tacoma students.
Ultimate Birthday Party!
Here is a preview by Erick Nelson, Japanese Language Instructor at Stadium:
Also:
Tacoma Weekly
Augusy 17th
The News Tribune
December 28, 2005
High times for Stadium High
January 9, 2006
First peek inside the castle
January 12, 2006
Tacoma Weekly
Touring the Castle; Stadium High School Renovation project nearing completion
See:
Pictures |
